Apparatus for drying material



June 8 1926 1,587,582

G. A. GALLOWAY APPARATUS FOR DRYING MATERIAL Filed Sept. 11 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 WM u.-. I 9 1 June 8 1926.

G. A. GALLOWAY APPARATUS FOR DRYING MATERIAL Filed Sept. 11, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v /{mm a 2%, wfimimwway June 8 1926a, 1,587,582

G. A. GALLOWAY APPARATUS FOR DRYING MATERIAL Filed Sept. 11, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 a 1 Inventor Patented June 8, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE A. GALLOWAY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO B. F. STURTEVANT COM- IPANY, OF HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING MATERIAL.

Application filed September 11, 1925. Serial No. 55,671.

The present invention relates to apparatus for drying material and more particularly material of a loose, freely flowing nature.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an apparatus which will be inexpensive to construct, easy to operate, have no moving parts, and be of relatively small size yet capable of drying large amounts of in material in an efficient and expeditious manner.

A further object of the present invention is to devise an apparatus which will be particularly adapted for drying loose, free flowiug material thoroughly and quickly and at a minimum expense.

To the above ends the present invention consists in the apparatus hereinafter described and more particularly defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing is shown an apparatus particularly designed for the drying of pulverized coal, which embodies the construction and method of operation forming the subject matter of this application.

Briefly, the illustrated apparatus comprises a drying chamber through which extend at right angles horizontally arranged air ducts having open bottoms. Heated air is supplied to the lower ducts and connections are provided so that the heated air will be discharged from the open bottoms of the lower ducts, collected in a higher series of ducts, and through the connections, de-

livered to another set of ducts from which the air is again discharged through the open bottoms and again collected, this cycle continuing until at the top of the apparatus the air is discharged into the atmosphere. The pulverized fuel flows downwardly by gravity through the drying chamber and over the ducts which are placed in such staggered and angular arrangement that the material is separated into a plurality of finely divided streams, constantly changing their direction and their constitution or make-up. By contact with the ducts and with the heated air the material is dried in its passage through the apparatus and is delivered at the bottom in the proper condition.

In the drawings, Fig. l is a Vertical section on line 11 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 2 is a vertical section on line 22 of Fig. 3 looking in the d rection of the arrow; Fig. 3 is a to plan view; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 44 of Fig. 1 looking downwardly.

The drying chamber across which the air ducts extend and down through which the pulverized fuel flows is square in cross-section, being formed by the front and back walls 5 and 6 and side walls 7 and 8. At the top .of this chamber is secured the outwardly turned flange 9 for attachment of the conveyor pipe or duct through which the material is supplied to the drier. At the bottom is attached the hopper 11 and the discharge pipe 12 through which the dried material is conducted away.

The air ducts for the heated air are of inverted trough shape with inverted V-shaped tops and open bottoms. The ends of these ducts or troughs extend through the walls of the drying chamber as shown at 14, being supported upon the angle pieces 15 which extend substantially across the wall, and being secured to such angle pieces by the short angle plates 16. I

The drier illustrated in the drawing comprises, in effect, two units one above the other and in the lower unit are shown two series or rows of supply ducts or troughs indicated at 18 and 19 respectively, extending from the front to the rear. Heated air is supplied to both the front and rear ends of these ducts from the inlet chambers 21 extending across the front and the rear walls ofthe drying chamber, but not beyond the side walls thereof. Into these inlet chambers 21 heated air is delivered from some suitable source connected with the inlet ports 22 in the bottom or floor of these inlet chambers. The heated air thus delivered into the supply ducts 18 and 19 from each end escapes from the open bottoms of the troughs and rising between the troughs is caught or collected in the transverse ducts or troughs 24 and 25, with similar open bottoms. The heated air collected in these transverse or collecting ducts is delivered at each end of the ducts into the discharge chambers 26 extending across not only the side walls 7 and 8 of the drying chamber, but the ends of the inlet chambers 21 as well.

From these discharge chambers the heated air passes through intermediate corner orts 28 into a second pair of inlet or supply 0 ambers 30 extending across the front and back walls of the drying chamber and projecting beyond the same in line with the outer walls of the discharge chambers 26, and separated from the lower inlet chambers 21 by the horizontal partition 31. From these front and back sup ly chambers in the second or upper unit, the heated air gasses through the supply ducts 32 and 33, eing collected in the transverse or collecting ducts 34 and 35 which discharge at each end into the discharge chambers 36 from which the air escapes into the atmosphere through the discharge ports 38.

Thus the heated air progresses from the bottom to the top of the apparatus, being discharged from the bottoms of one series of ducts only to be caught or collected in a higher series-and again returned to the drying chamber through still another series from which it is in turn discharged and collected by a still higher series from which it is finally discharged into the open air.

The material as it passes downwardly through the drying chamber, impinges upon the tops of the upper series of ducts and 1s divided into a series of sheets which fall upon the next lower series at right angles to the first series, thus dividing the sheets into small streams. As the material passes down' wardly it is repeatedly deflected by the ducts, first in one direction and then in another, being thoroughly agitated thereby and presenting the material to the current of heated air so intimately that the material when it is finally collected and discharged from the bottom of the apparatus is thoroughly dried.

In order to avoid abrasion and wear with consequent damage to the top of the ducts or troughs by the falling material, wear plates 40 of steel or other wear resisting material are secured to the ducts along the peak and extending part way down the sloping sides.

In the specific mechanism illustrated in the drawings it will be noted that two units are employed, this having been found to give the desired results with the particular material, namely, pulverized fuel, being handled. Obviously for other materials and with other conditions of initial dampness and the desired final dryness, a greater or lesser number of units may be employed.

Furthermore, in the specific form illustrated two tiers of supply pipes are provided in each section in parallel arran ement; i. e. both drawing from the same inlet or supply chamber. Such an arrangement is not essential but is preferable, as is the staggered positioning 0 the supply pipes in the upper and lower series in each unit.

The positioning of the collector pipes at right angles to the supply pipes is also not essential but preferable, since it assists in the breaking up of the air currents andthe stream of the material.

Another feature of advantage is the collection and lateral discharge of the heated air at the top of the drying chamber, thus avoiding any disturbance or interference with the supply or flow of material into such chamber.

It will be. observed that the material in passing over the several air ducts in its passage downwardly through the drying chamber is heated by direct contact with these ducts, which in turn are maintained at relatively high temperature by the hot air passing through them. Thus the material is dried both by direct contact with the heated surfaces and also by the hot air with which it is intermingled, thereby effecting a rapid and thorough removal of the excess moisture.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for drying loose material comprising a pluralit of horizontal tiers of staggered supply nets and a plurality of horizontal tiers of sta gered collecting ducts alternating with the tiers of supply ducts and arranged at substantially right angles thereto, each duct having an open bottom, an air inlet chamber for admittmg air to the lower supply ducts, and passages connecting collecting duets with upper supply ducts whereby the air is caused to pass serially through supply and collectmg ducts .in a general upward direction, and means for admitting the loose material to pass by gravity over the successive tiers.

2. The a paratus as defined in claim 1, in which t e ducts have substa'ntially V- shaped tops.

3. An apparatus for drying loose mater1al comprising a plurality of supply ducts each having an open bottom and a substantially V-shaped top, inlet chambers at opposite ends of the supply ducts, a plurality of collecting ducts arranged above and at substantlally right angles to the supply ducts to collect air discharged from the latter, addltional supply ducts above the collecting ducts, passages connecting the collecting duets with said additional supply ducts, a plurality of collecting ducts above the addltional supply ducts, and means for admitting the loose material to pass by gravity over the ducts.

4. An apparatus for drying loose material comprising a plurality of sections of open bottom supply ducts, each section comprising a plurality of tiers, a plurality of sections of open bottom collecting ducts each section comprising a plurality of tiers of ducts adapted to collect air discharged from the supply ducts, chambers communicating with the tiers of each section to permit parallel air flow in the tiers of each section,

passages connecting together sections of collecting and supply ducts whereby the air is caused to pass serially through successive sections of supply and collecting ducts, and an inlet for loose material above the ducts.

5. An apparatus for drying loose material comprising a plurality of tiers of open bottom supply ducts, a'plurality of tiers of open bottom collecting ducts alternating with the tiers of supply ducts, the collecting ducts being arran ed at substantially right angles to the supply ducts and adapted to collect air discharged from the supply ducts, chambers communicatin with the ducts to permit parallel flow or air in the supply ducts and in the collecting ducts and an inlet for loose material above the ducts.

6. An apparatus for drying loose material comprising a drying chamber having upright walls, a plurality of tiers of open bottom ducts extending across the chamber and protruding through the walls, and angle pieces secured to the walls and supporting the ends of the ducts.

7. An apparatus for drying loose material comprising aplurality of vertically arranged tiers of horizontal supply ducts having openings for the discharge of heated air, a plurality of tiers of air collecting ducts alternating with the supply ducts open on the bottom to collect air discharged from the supply ducts, means for supplying heated air to the lower supply ducts, passages connecting collecting ducts with upper supply ducts to cause heated air to pass serially through successive ducts, and means for admitting the material to pass by gravity over the ducts and through the heated air to dry the material.

8. An apparatus for drying loose material comprising a plurality of air ducts for heated air having peaked tops upon which the material falls, strips of wear resisting material secured to said peaked tops in position to receive the impact of the falling material, and means for supplying heated air to the ducts.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

GEORGE A. GALLOWAY. 

